The present invention relates to plant support cages and in particular to a kit for rapidly assembling cages in a variety of configurations from standard stakes.
Gardeners have long known the advantages of supporting the fruit bearing vegetation of tomato plants and other plants such as peas, cucumbers, and beans, to name a few. Providing support for these types of plants serves several functions. It keeps the fruit from contact with the ground where diseases and insects have ready access to the produce. Support also relieves the stress on heavily laden branches and vines. In some cases, proper support exposes the foliage to advantageous access to sunlight and ventilation. Fruit and vegetables that are restrained from contact with the ground stay much cleaner and are visually more appealing.
Numerous devices have been developed to provide the support described above. Funnel shaped wire cages for tomatoes are a common example—see U.S. Pat. No. 7,874,100 (2011) for example. Many types of square cages have been designed—see US 2014/0109474 (A1) for example. Indeterminate tomato plants are sometimes suspended by a cord which is wrapped around the vines or attached to them with clips, plastic ties, or ribbons—see U.S. Pat. No. 6,928,772 for example.
All of the plant support structures heretofore known suffer from one or more disadvantages. Some prior art teaches very complicated structures. Many show a complicated folding mechanism to facilitate storage. A number of plant support cages and devices on the market are expensive and are capable of supporting only one plant. Some of the most widely distributed designs have fallen into disfavor with many gardeners due to: the propensity to fall over when laden with heavy fruit or when subjected to windy conditions; difficulty reaching through the structure to harvest the fruit; difficulty cleaning out the vegetation at the end of the season; difficulty storing due to size and shape; lack of quality or durability; and/or high purchase price.